If the Buddha Came to Dinner: How to Nourish Your Body to Awaken Your Spirit

by Hale Sofia Schatz, Shira Shaiman

If the Buddha came to dinner at your home, what would you serve? Fast food? A frozen meal quickly reheated in the microwave? Chances are you'd feed your honored guest a delicious meal prepared with love and care. But the next time you have dinner, what will you eat?

With so much processed food in the marketplace, obesity in adults and children dramatically on the rise, and digestive problems increasingly more common, it's clear that we're facing a serious food crisis in this country. The answer, however, isn't just to go on a diet. Reducing the intake of refined and processed foods and increasing whole foods certainly can improve one's health. But we need more. We need to feed ourselves with a sense of purpose, self-respect, love, and passion for our lives. We need to nourish our spirits.

Nourishment isn't a fad diet . . . it's a lifelong journey, and Haléofia Schatz is the ideal guide. Gentle, wise, and humorous, she shows us the way to the heart of nourishment--our own inner wisdom that knows exactly how to feed our whole self. A perfect blend of inspiration and practical suggestions, If the Buddha Came to Dinner includes guidelines for selecting vital foods, ideas for keeping your energy balanced throughout the day, a cleanse program, and over 60 recipes to awaken your palate.

Open this book and nurture yourself as never before. You'll be fed in a whole new way.

Genres: Spirituality, Health, Nonfiction, Reference, Buddhism, Self Help, Food

320 pages

First published March 17, 2004

About the author

Halé Sofia Schatz, nourishment educator and consultant, has focused on cultivating the essential correlation between nourishment, health, and spiritual awareness since 1975. With a degree in psychology and training in both Eastern and Western approaches to health, nutrition, and well-being, Hale Sofia Schatz Halé offers a multi-disciplinary perspective that respects the individual’s unique needs. Halé’s lifelong inquiry into diverse spiritual practices has led her to discover methods for accessing our innate spiritual wisdom through the daily practice of nourishing ourselves. Her unique approach to food, health, and healing is in large part a combination of Mediterranean and Asian influences. She has traveled extensively in those regions of the world, and has learned from traditional cultural life as well as master chefs and practitioners.

Whether with individual clients, groups, or large audiences, Halé’s work is inspirational and practical for those committed to making healthy changes in their lives. She combines her extensive knowledge of internal cleansing, food combining, herbs, and vital foods with a strong intuitive approach to help people embody spirit. Her work provides a practical, supportive approach to deeper issues of nourishment, well-being, and consciousness.

Although her private practice is located in Boston, Massachusetts, her clientele extends nationally and internationally. In addition to working with individuals, Halé presents her work in diverse settings, offering programs for women, parents, yoga and retreat centers, as well as seminars for corporations and colleges. Due to the demand for her work, she now offers an intensive training program for aspiring nourishment educators and consultants.

Halé is deeply committed to educating parents in the importance of developing life-long patterns for health, awareness, and well-being in their families. She has collaborated with the Obesity Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, on integrating nourishment practices into daily family life.

Halé’s book, If the Buddha Came to Dinner: How to Nourish Your Body to Awaken Your Spirit, was published in March 2004 by Hyperion. A synthesis of her unique and joyful approach to food and consciousness, If the Buddha Came to Dinner combines inspirational guidance with real-life stories, practical information, and delicious recipes.

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you need some pep talk for your soul, this book might do the trick. However, its main point, actual FOOD nourishment guidelines for your soul, was a bit extreme for me. I am not interested in testing her postulation that grains combined with proteins/fats are the hardest combination to digest and should therefore be avoided! I am not interested in cleansing myself by eating only veggies and fruits for a week. However, I will give her this: she is right to emphasize the need to listen to your body and see what works for you, rather than simply following a set of diet or lifestyle guidelines.

[Fedora · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of all time. Really teaches you about the connection of food and body.

[M'heeraw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this book. This is my send time reading this and now I'm doing the 21 day food cleanse which is going okay. I can't wait for week two and three lolz.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book describes a dietary cleanse, the goal of which is to purify the body and spirit. I have not actually done the cleanse, so this review should be taken with a grain of salt for now.

I wish I'd skipped the first chapter. The point is to describe why the cleanse is a good thing that people should do. I do not need this motivation - I already think cleanses are good. The language in this book is also very floofy. I'll look up a random sentence now: "When you're aligned with your spirit, your whole life opens up. What this means is that you feel deeply connected to a source of wisdom that exists within you, that guides you and helps you develop your unique gifts and talents." Well. While I admit that I actually agree with every word here, reading a hundred pages of this stuff really gets on my nerves.

Chapter 2 describes the cleanse and the reasons for doing it the way it's done. Week 1 is fruits and veggies only. Week 2 adds some grains (no wheat though!). Week 3 adds some proteins (no red meat of course). I'd like to try this cleanse some time. It sounds neat. Now is not the time.

There's a third chapter which I liked but am now forgetting what it was about. Chapter 4 is recipes, which is critical for a book like this. You can't tell people to revolutionize their diets without helping them cook their new meals. These recipes look pretty good and I'd like to try a few. I renewed the book from the library so hopefully I'll get a chance to do a few before it's due.

For now I think I will try to eat less wheat and sugar. Sounds easy, right? Hmmm. We'll see.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already knew alot of the stuff in this book, so i skimmed over some of it and then read some chapters.
I reall liked that it was written from her own experiences (she works in the nutrition field) and I love that she wants you to listen to your body. Not everything works for everyone and all of our bodies change over time. Also she talks about NOT DIETING. She approaches it from the perspective of feeding your body AND mind.
Also there are recipes at the end, although I dont see myself making them. Thats ok, Its more about choosing the best ingredients etc..

[Bea Elwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started out so good with the whole nourishing verses consuming, and again I want to eat locally, buy seasonally blah blah and this book is seven years old but she spends half the text repeating herself and a good half of the book talking about cleansing - yknow extreem fasting, I don't care how else you lable it but its not for me. I just wnat to learn how to feed myself for the next 100 years...

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book but I was hoping for a slightly more scientific study based analysis of processed foods and what they are doing to the body. This book has a much more spiritual focus on nourishment and what that actually means for a person as whole, not just nutritionally. I may still try the cleanse to see how it makes me feel. Overall a little too new age spiritualism for my taste, but if that's what you are looking for it's a great book.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this four stars because it's the only book I've picked up so far that deals with food and spirituality. it's not kooky, although a big part of the book is about fasting. Fasting, to be honest, freaks me out but this book advocates eating just veggies for a week or so.

Lots of neat ideas, I need to re-read. there are also recipes that I've yet to look over.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Transformational Nourishment...Eating vs. Feeding, Who are you Feeding? If the Buddah came to dinner at your home, what would you serve?...Chances are you'd feed your honored guest a delicious meal prepared with love and care. But the next time you have dinner, what will you eat? This is a really great book.

[Shana]

This is a nice primer on mindful eating with a cleanse I've been dying to try, but I'm going to wait until I wean the baby (don't need all of those toxins coming out in the breast milk). The cleanse recipes are all eastern and Mediterranean in origin, and though I'm not big on Asian food, there is plenty here that appeals to me.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very interesting and I think I will enjoy the recipes in the back of the book. I'm not sure if I completely buy all of this spiritual nourishment stuff, but I think that she has an interesting approach to eating. I look forward to experimenting with her suggestions.

[Rebecca Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is about nourishment - in every sense of the word. I learned about my relationship with food and the impact my life has had on my ability to nourish myself with awareness, openness and life-giving care.

[Karin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting comments on nourishment and different ways of determining what nourishes you. A very easy read and written in a way that gently introduces you to the concept of nourishment (vs. dieting).

[Mellissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spiritual journey into the concept of 'nourishment'. It's an opportunity to change the way that we perceive the food that we fix and learn how to build health from the most simple of practices. This is one that I will definitely buy for my bookshelf. AND recipes are included! YUM!

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found many of her ideas interesting (and others less so). She offers new perspectives on eating that I found useful in considering my own relation to food. I think most people would walk away from this book with a few useful thoughts. There are also some tasty recipes in the back.

[Lee-ann Dyke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book places emphasis on caring for yourself. A good message! There a few times I thought ideas were explained for too long. But the underlying point was always very true. A good cleanse plan and great recipes.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me think about how vital foods are in having a balanced life. how we fuel are bodies is a reflection of how we nourish ourselves. goooooooood book.

[Alex]

how to nourish myself more fully

[Lida · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book could use a bit of editing but the message and recipes are great.

[Lucy]

i'm loving this book so far... more when i'm done.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will teach you how to treat yourself right. And in essence, know yourself (through your desires and needs). I only lament that my breath smells like tea more than anything else now.

[Katie Aschero · Rating 4 out of 5]

loving this book so far and I've only read the intro so far!

[Keith]

Gaining a better understanding of our relationship and food. Very very interesting.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a right time in everyone's life to read this book.

[Tami Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I agree with her on almost everything. I may use just a few word replacements, but I may just have to buy my own copy and highlight half of it.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good. As long as I come away with something @ finish the book it's good.

[Gooberpie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite cleanse book. The only one that makes sense.

[Alysia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread this book as a nourishment cleanse with Hale 10 years ago was very helpful.

[Berry Octaviansyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

love the knowledge.. soo.. rich..

[Hardiansyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makan yang transformational ... dan makan yang tidak emosional :)
cool book ...